What's in an Economic Forum? Visitors, Police and Protests

By DAN BARRY

Published: January 27, 2002

Near the end of that movie classic ''The Wizard of Oz,'' the wizard stands in the gondola of a hot-air balloon and bids farewell to the people of the Emerald City. He is embarking on a journey, he explains, ''to confer, converse, and otherwise hobnob with my brother wizards.''

That's nice, you say. But who cares?

Well, the City of New York, for one. This week, some 2,700 ''wizards'' from around the world -- government leaders and corporate executives, ministers of state and of God, politicians and pundits -- will gather at the Waldorf-Astoria for the annual World Economic Forum, at which leaders ''think deep thoughts,'' as the Wizard of Oz might say. This year, for example, they plan to focus on ways to restore worldwide economic growth, reduce poverty, improve governance and thwart terrorism.

You should not feel embarrassed if you have never heard of the World Economic Forum; it is normally held in Davos, in the Swiss Alps; it was moved to New York this year to support the city after the terrorist attack in September. Nor should you feel bad if you have not been invited; it is extremely exclusive, and some participants have paid more than $25,000 for the privilege of attending -- and that does not include lodging.

But you should pay attention. These corporate executives and leaders from more than 100 countries bring entourages, expense accounts -- and thousands of protesters to shadow them wherever they go, whether for breakfast at Le Cirque, dinner at the New York Stock Exchange, or a stroll through the American Museum of Natural History. There will be frozen zones, bodyguard T-formations, and many, many people in helmets and uniforms.

It will be a Super Bowl weekend in more ways than one.

The deputy mayor for economic development, Daniel Doctoroff, emphasized that the Police Department was prepared to prevent any of the kind of mayhem that has broken out in Seattle, Genoa, and other cities where similar economic gatherings have taken place in recent years. He said that the money spent on police overtime -- and any money lost because of the various inconveniences -- was worth the public exposure the city will receive.

''It's a magnificent opportunity to showcase to the world, as well as to the many business and media leaders, that New York is in fact back in business,'' he said, adding that the forum provides ''further confirmation that this is where the world meets.''

But what is the World Economic Forum again? Charles McLean, a spokesman for the nonprofit organization, patiently explained: ''We're not a government entity. We write no laws, we pass no treaties, we impose no sanctions. This is not in any way an official body.''

Instead, Mr. McLean said, it is a setting for world leaders to come together to address ''the big problems confronting humankind.'' He said that the forum's members and its 150 employees worked year round on the ideas that spring from these sessions, and that the challenges it has taken on include global health care and information technology.

The forum, established three decades ago by Klaus Schwab, a Swiss business professor, is financed by the substantial membership dues of roughly 1,000 large corporations that Mr. McLean described as ''the foremost companies in the world.''

Smaller corporations from developing countries also participate, he said, as do religious leaders, academicians, politicians and journalists.

He acknowledged that the pursuit of profit played some role in why corporations were motivated to belong to the forum. ''There is certainly no doubt there are useful networking opportunities and business opportunities that present themselves,'' he said. But he suggested that members are more drawn by the unique opportunity to ''think out of the box.''

Not everyone quite agrees with the forum's self-assessment. A group called Another World Is Possible -- one of the many groups that describes itself as fighting for ''global justice'' -- announced on its Web site plans to hold a series of ''direct-action mass protests'' against the forum (''the first such protests since the tragedies of Sept. 11'').

''What we are talking about is democratic involvement in the important decisions that affect everyone's lives all over the world,'' said Kevin Skvorak, a carpenter from Brooklyn who is a member of Another World is Possible. In his view, ''These decisions are currently made by a gang of the richest people in the world and the politicians they control and pay for.''

''The rights to make these decisions have been usurped by these corporate cabals,'' he added. ''These are the guys that run the world.''

The five-day event, which begins on Thursday, will include hundreds of workshops, panel discussions, cocktail receptions and private chats. Topics range from ''Arab-U.S. Relations: The Road Ahead'' to ''C.E.O. Brainstorming: Leadership in Fragile Times,'' to ''Connecting to Consumers in Uncertain Times.''

A panel discussion on the matter of hope will include former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani; former Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Kofi Annan, the secretary-general of the United Nations; and Bono, the rock star. Another discussion, exploring the ''mediatization'' of society, includes the former presidential candidate Steve Forbes and the actor Alec Baldwin.

And Daniel Boulud, the chef, will help participants consider the question: ''What kind of insight does gastronomy give us about a particular culture or national identity?''

Much of the activity will take place at the Waldorf, where most of the 1,425 rooms and suites have been reserved by participants in the forum. But a previously scheduled wedding at the hotel forced the forum's organizers to move the Saturday evening gala -- ''it is usually referred to in Davos as the soiree,'' Mr. McLean said -- to the New York Stock Exchange.

But there will be plenty of activity beyond the confines of the Waldorf, according to Cristyne L. Nicholas, the president of NYC & Company, the city's tourist board, including visits to museums, meals at well-known restaurants, and even a gathering at ground zero next Sunday for an international prayer service.

Of course, all the extracurricular activity puts heightened pressure on the city's Police Department, the Secret Service, and the various private security firms that have been hired to protect their corporate clients in what may be an unusually hostile atmosphere. Police officials say that they have been training for weeks for the forum, and will announce on Tuesday the city's plans regarding street closings, demonstrations and other matters that affect the public. Meanwhile, John F. Timoney -- a former deputy New York police commissioner, former police commissioner of Philadelphia, and now chief executive of Beau Dietl & Associates -- said that his security firm's armed guards have been retained by ''quite a few corporations and business types.''

''We are doing security in the various establishments, the venues where breakfasts or lunches or receptions are being held,'' he said, adding that the guards ''will be inside to make sure there is no misbehavior, to make sure there is no one who wants to throw a pie in someone's face.''

Next Sunday evening, in the midst of all these big, global thoughts, there will be an unofficial pause in the program. ''I don't think we're going to be able to counterprogram against the Super Bowl,'' said Mr. McLean, a Pennsylvania native who is rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles. ''Sunday evening is for private events.''

And just in case the crown prince of Dubai, the chief editor of Radio France, or the prime minister of Finland wants to watch the big game, the Waldorf plans to have large-screen televisions in the hotel's bars.